1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a surgical access apparatus for accessing an underlying body cavity to permit the introduction of a surgical object into the cavity. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an access apparatus including a seal and closure valve assembly adapted to receive the surgical object in sealed engagement while maintaining the seal about the object and within the passageway of the access apparatus during manipulation of the surgical object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Minimally invasive and laparoscopic procedures generally require that any instrumentation inserted into the body is sealed, i.e., provisions must be made to ensure that gases and/or fluids do not enter or exit the body through an endoscopic incision, such as, for example in surgical procedures where the surgical region is insufflated. For such procedures, the introduction of a tube into anatomical cavities, such as the peritoneal cavity, is usually accomplished by use of a system incorporating a trocar and cannula assembly. Since the cannula is in direct communication with the interior of the peritoneal cavity, insertion of the cannula into an opening in the patient's body to reach the inner abdominal cavity should be adapted to maintain a fluid tight interface between the abdominal cavity and the outside atmosphere. In view of the need to maintain the atmospheric integrity of the inner area of the cavity, a seal assembly for a cannula, which permits introduction of a wide range of surgical instrumentation and maintains the atmospheric integrity of the inner area of the cavity is desirable. In this regard, there have been a number of attempts in the prior art to achieve such sealing requirements. A difficulty encountered with conventional seal assemblies, however, is the inability of accommodating the wide range of sizes of instrumentation. In addition, angulation (i.e., angular movement) and/or manipulation of instrumentation within the cannula often present difficulties with respect to maintaining seal integrity both about the instrumentation and within the passageway of the cannula.